Because I Want You
by Neon Clouds
Summary: Maybe Willa was wrong. Maybe Philby wasn't interested in Storey at all. But what if he was? Willa is about to find out.


**New one! I really hope you like reading it as much as I loved writing it! Disclaimer: I don't own the Dream, I've never even been on it so if some things aren't right I'm sorry. I don't own Willa, or Finn, or Philby. I also don't own the wardrobe that leads to Narnia, sadly. Wait, *goes to check closet* Nope. Nada.**

I strutted over to the desert table of the Dream's dining room. behind a certain chestnut-haired friend of mine. "I would have thought you had enough of those pineapple turnovers the other night." I told Finn, who turned around smiling.

"What? It's not like you didn't shove enough food in your face last night yourself." Finn nodded toward my plate that didn't lack an egg custard tart or two.

"Touché" I made a point of popping one in my mouth right there.

"I know that this might be the least of our problems right now, but I think we should talk about Philby." Finn whispered to me, seeing as the redhead was not far away from where we were standing.

An intentional incognizant tone crept into my voice. "What about Philby?" I forced an absentminded glance at the floor. Finn seized me by the shoulders, causing me to look up, straight at him.

Looking me dead in the eyes, he said, "Don't play dumb, Willa. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

I frowned, turning away. "This isn't something I want to talk about right now." Involuntarily, I looked to where Philby was sitting. But the seat was now vacant. A quick scan of the room confirmed a dreadful thought that had come to me that I'd been hoping was wrong. Philby was gone.

Finn didn't seem the least bit aware of this or the fact that I had even noticed. "Then when do you want to talk about it? When it's too big a problem to deal with?"

True, I knew that this was a potential dilemma, but I didn't want to admit it. My mind repelled the thought of such a thing. "Finn-"

"I know that you like him and all and that-"

"Why do you keep saying that? I don't like him!" I whispered back, the tone harsher than I had wanted to make it.

"Oh, please, Willa. Don't start with this again. You do like him." His expression gradually changed at my sudden silence. The transformation from grave to amused.

"That's so not true." When a grin clarifying that he was holding back laughter fell smug on his face, I felt my face grow fiercely hot, "Shut up!" There was an added spring to my step as I fled from the room, leaving my plate on a random table as I scurried past.

"Wait." Finn called to me, yet a response never left me, nor an indication that I'd even heard him.

Exiting through the double doors of the dining room, I moved quickly down the hallways that seemed to go on forever, no matter how much you told yourself that it wasn't possible that they be infinite.

At the moment, I failed to think of a rational reason I left. To find the somehow absconded Philby, maybe. The only other purpose would be to escape the conversation with Finn that had dragged me down too deep into the pool of my emotions, a sea I chose not to wade through very often. There was good chance it was both.

"Willa!" Finn's voice echoed down the corridor to my ears. The sound of chuckling from far behind brought a convivial sensation to me, compelling me to giggle along. It had been so long since I had last heard him laugh, or any of the Keepers for that matter. "Come on, Willa. Let's talk about this."

I could tell he wasn't talking about Philby being a problem by the entertained tone his voice carried. He must have been speaking of my liking Philby. As I had gotten a large head start, he was still far behind me. "No, that's okay. I'm good." I chimed back to him.

The feeling that our fellow passengers may begin to complain about the disruptive noise we were making by shouting was telling me to quiet down. We were in the area where the cabins began, and I didn't think people inside trying to get a few hours of sleep would be too appreciative of the fact that we were making such a racket. DHI guest or not, we had to be respectful. I assumed that the same thought had occurred to Finn because he also fell hushed.

Still aimlessly running down the corridors not knowing which way led where, I turned at a corner. The second I did, though, I knew my aim. Anywhere but there was where I wanted to be.

Far down the hall stood Philby and Storey, continuing with whatever they were doing, apparently completely oblivious to my being there. The fact that they were alone together sent a knife straight through my heart. He whispered something to her and she laughed, taking a step closer to him. My stomach cramped, threatening to rid itself of its contents. Him leaning back on the wall, her taking small steps forward driving him further against it, their faces couldn't have been farther than a few inches apart.

_Please. Please don't let this be happening! _My eyes prickled with tears. I wanted to turn away, to refuse it like a bad dream. Tell myself it wasn't happening. But my eyes were glued on them, on every movement Storey made toward Philby. Venom spread through my vital organs. Everything felt so… dark and cold. It didn't belong here. That feeling. Not on a Disney ship.

Finn had caught up, stopping feet away from me, bending over, and panting heavily. I looked back at him. "You need to slow down some." He stated, eventually regaining his ability to breathe properly. Finally, he recouped his posture and looked past me at Philby and Storey. An expression of bewilderment played across his face, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

His glance changed between the two sights before him. Two passengers, closer than necessarily expected from two people who just met a matter of days beforehand. And then to the girl holding back tears as she stared so brokenheartedly at the floor.

Peering back again, I suffered the most excruciating pain in my chest I ever felt. He was pressed against the wall. She was enjoying the meet of their lips. My mind raced. Nausea took its place in me, the unsettling affliction making my insides turn.

Facial features laced with sympathy, Finn, gently moving toward me, began, "Willa-"

I pushed past him, though, too quick for him to catch me. Squeezing my eyes shut, tears spilled over the rims of my eyes, sliding down my cheeks and onto the floor as I sprinted down the hall, away from everything. The beat of my throbbing heart echoed in my ears, preventing me from hearing anything else.

One sporadic to crying over something as silly as a stupid little crush, I was surprised at my own reaction to the spectacle. Never would I have ever expected to make such a fuss over something so ridiculous. But seeing Storey's lips pressed against his was enough to drive me into an illogical perturbation. Despite Philby's recent change in behavior, I still had feelings for him.

The pull of my heartstrings that seeing him brought me changed to a tug, a thrashing attempt to tear them out. My thoughts rebelled, decussating the boundaries of my mind so that they found their way into my senses, making near impossible to see where I was going, or even feel the floor below my feet.

Swallowing hard, attempting to somehow remove the lump that had formed in my throat, I tried to calm down. I slowed, allowing my stride to settle to a quick-stepped walk. A glance up gave me the chance to take in my surroundings. My subconscious must have taken control of me, almost like autopilot, because I found myself at the pool. Nobody was around; it was too late to be taking a dip.

Sprawled over one of the lounge chairs, a slight peacefulness grew in me, watching the waves of the pool in the gentle breeze. I gazed up at the night, dark clouds swaying into view, covering the stars. Even with the excessive light coming from the full moon, the night felt pitch-black, an unnatural darkness to it.

The scene replayed in my head, making me think I might die; the pain in my chest was so severe I couldn't breathe. My heart was ripped right out of my chest at that moment. I wasn't going to cry any more tears over him. I refused to. But tears continued to well up in my eyes and my prevention from crying made them burn, like I was repressing acid not tears. Anger swelled viciously inside of me, progressively adding to my ache and pain.

A sudden gust of wind sent a shiver up my spine. I pulled my jacket tighter around me at the striking cold temperature that overcame the night. I figured it was just my imagination. My miserable state made everything feel icy, like how the whole world seems brighter when you're happy.

I heard footsteps, my body stiffened. Quickly, I wiped my eyes dry of its tears. The footsteps paused beside me. "Can I help you?" I asked, not even half sincerely, keeping my eyes on the floor. They didn't answer.

Then, frightening me to the core, a rag was pressed harshly against my mouth and nose. Alarm swept through me, my hands flew to my face trying vigorously to yank the rag away. Not wanting to, I took a deep breath, the strong smell of chemicals reaching me. My body repressed signals my mind sent. All cerebral function was gone. I blacked out.

...

Groggily, I woke with a start. My reactions were still sluggish, as remains of the chemicals lingered. I felt feeble and small, barely able to move. Sitting up was a challenge at first, but I managed. Not long after, I felt my strength come back to me. I blinked, my vision clearing so that I may survey my location. Machinery surrounded me, the thick smell of combustion in the air. No matter where I was, I must have been in the lower levels.

There didn't seem to be any guards around. In a slow, cautious manner, I lifted myself off the floor and wandered the room for a way out. But, where to begin? The room was enormous, if I take the wrong turn I'd end up lost. Considering I was lost as it was, it was worth taking the chance for.

My nerves were on edge. Even the slightest movement could mean an O.T., who I should probably try to avoid.

"Psst!" I jumped at the sudden noise. Turning around, I saw nothing. I couldn't have imagined it, the whisper was too loud, it was too realistic. With an extreme precaution, I took a few steps forward.

I sensed movement and paused. Then I saw it. First a flash of orange, then a familiar face. Philby came out from behind a machine and into view. A strange mixture of emotions filled me. Frustration, relief, joy, disgust.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered. Figuring the best way to find a way out was to work together, I put my present emotions to the side and dealt with what was at hand.

"You were nowhere to be found this morning. Did you really think I wouldn't come looking for you?" He gave me a face of mock-offense.

_All morning! How long have I been unconscious?_ "How'd you know where to find me?"

"Watched the ship's camera footage. I saw where the O.T.'s took you." He took me by the arm, leading me deeper into the setup of machines.

"Where are the guards?" I asked, wondering if he even knew.

"From what I've seen, there aren't any." I shot him a curious look. "I know. Weird right?"

Suddenly, his Wavephone sounded. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out and checked it for a message. "Storey says it's this way." I think he motioned to the right but I didn't really pay attention. I was too busy focusing on the person he'd mentioned.

"You're getting directions from Storey?" I asked him through gritted teeth.

"Yeah." I grimaced, he took notice. "What's wrong?"

I shrugged insincerely. "Nothing. It's just you've been getting real close with Storey lately." My statement left my mouth etched in a faint bitterness.

"What do you mean?" He continued maneuvering through the machines, every once in a while checking his Wavephone for a new message. Dragging me behind him, he lead me to what I was hoping was the way to the exit. Not caring whether he was taking me to the exit or the wardrobe that lead us to Narnia, I tugged on his arm, stopping him.

"Philby, I saw you kiss her. I'm not stupid, I can tell-"

"She kissed me." He interrupted me.

"What?"

"She kissed me. We were talking and she just grabbed me and kissed me. Trust me when I say I didn't even want to kiss her. I don't like her like that." He started to walk away. I followed but that didn't mean that it didn't irritate me that he was ignoring me.

"But, then, why were you guys alone together?"

"I was just talking to her about Keeper stuff. What we need to get done while we're on the ship. What we need to do to avoid the O.T.K's. How terrified I was when you and Finn jumped off."

"You were scared?"

"Well, yeah! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything had happened to either of you." I smiled dumbly, though he didn't see because he was ahead of me. We continued like that for a while. Trailing through the room for what seemed like hours, we didn't speak a word to each other. But, then, he just paused, and turned to me.

"Why do you care anyways?" he interrogated me.

"Huh?"

"Me spending time alone with Storey. You didn't like it." I stared blankly back at him. "Willa, do you like me?"

I felt a change in temperature through my entire body. "No," I replied simply, though he didn't buy it. A teasing grin played across his face.

"Come on. Admit it, Willa, you like me. Don't you?"

_Yes! I do, Philby! I like you!_ "Please, in your dreams!" I laughed, pushing him playfully. Not wanting to the conversation to carry on, I continued in the direction we were previously heading away from him.

But before I could get far, he grabbed hold of my wrist. A pull on my arm sent me staggering backwards. Strong arms caught me before I fell, holding onto me with a protective grip. He spun me around, not letting go, not that I ever wanted him to. Then, with a tenderness so sweet and complaisant, he leaned down and let our lips meet.

I smiled through the kiss, my hands finding their way, wrapping around his neck, just as his did my waist. So perfect, so blissful. My heart fluttered, an amazing feeling after the sorrow I had gone through the preceding night. Somehow, I was sure Storey didn't get a kiss like this one.

His hands held my waist tighter and lifted me off the ground. Static shot through my body, overwhelming me with a pleasurable spark. His lips pressed harder onto mine but the same tenderness remained. Somehow, this excited me, thrilling and energetic vigor filling me.

He pulled away so that our faces were mere millimeters apart. His words soft and alluring, he whispered, "Don't worry, Willa. I like you, too."

**I love Wilby! Their my favorite couple! R&R! Read and review! But this time I also want you to leave requests so that I'm not uninspired this week. R,R, & R! Read, review, and request!**


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